Some of the Best Apps And Software, As Recommended by Our Translators

Written by Mo Stone

With the ease of modern technology, translators today have an incredible amount of tools available, all promising to boost speed and accuracy and allowing you to be more productive and efficient in your work. But what to choose? Here are some of our favorites, hand-selected by our translators here at Borderless Translations. 

Free Tools Around the Web

DeepL

Similar to Google Translate, DeepL is a machine translation tool that gives accurate translations and is popular among freelance translators. Anyone can use the free online version, but to unlock more features such as unlimited text translation and higher data security users must upgrade to DeepL Pro. The pro version is available for a free 30 day trial, and costs $6.99 per month for the starter package and $22.99 per month for the advanced package. Get started with DeepL here.

Smartcat

As one of the top cloud-based translation softwares, Smartcat provides more than just computer translation. The platform also acts as a space for translators and editors to collaborate in real time, and boasts the industry’s biggest marketplace for freelancers, with payments to contributors managed directly through Smartcat. On top of that, Smartcat’s CAT (computer assisted translation) and TMS (translation management system) tools are powerful, easy to use, and – perhaps the best part – free. Discover Smartcat here.

Industry Standards

Trados Studio

Among desktop translation tools, Trados Studio is at the top of everyone’s list and is considered to be the standard for many companies and translation agencies. A “complete translation toolkit,” the features that are part of Trados Studio include TM (translation memory) technology, predictive typing, and machine translation, all promising to deliver increased speed, accuracy and productivity. Also, the latest version can be used via Trados Live, their new cloud service. While Trados Studios comes with a higher price tag, there are lots of product and pricing tiers available both for freelancers and organizations, including a subscription service and a free trial, so no matter what your need, there’s an option for it with Trados. Check them out here.

memoQ

The biggest competitor to Trados Studio, memoQ also includes powerful features to streamline translation and localization processes and is used by companies and freelancers alike. The platform offers a myriad of different products and services to provide solutions for a wide variety of industries, including life sciences translation and games and audiovisual localization. Freelancers will love memoQ translator pro, a CAT tool, as well as dictation support in over 30 different languages. As with Trados Studio, many options are available in terms of packages and pricing. memoQ is priced at $770, with a free trial available. Start your free trial here.

The Wildcard

Microsoft Excel

Our last recommendation may strike users from out of left field, but Microsoft Excel is a classic organization tool and widely used among game companies in Japan for translation purposes. Using Excel spreadsheets, teams can coordinate projects and easily see side-by-side translations, ensuring that everyone is on the same page. Excel has long been valued as a productivity tool in a myriad of industries, so perhaps it’s no surprise that this classic software has found its place in translation as well. 

No matter your needs as a translator, our recommended translation tools will help you deliver. Which one’s your favorite? Or is there one that we’ve missed? Tell us in the comments below!